SCOTT COUNTY, Tenn. — The mayor of Huntsville said the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation officially denied a permit for the proposed Roberta Landfill Phase II project in Scott County. 

Mayor Dennis Jeffers said the TDEC Division of Water Resources denied the Section 401 Water Quality Certification and Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit for the project.

“This decision represents a significant development in the ongoing discussion surrounding the proposed landfill and its potential impact on our community, environment, and future,” Jeffers wrote in a social media post.

Jeffers said the department’s formal determination denied the application because it failed to show how the project would not result in pollution, showed no less harmful practicable alternatives, there was insufficient mitigation to offset environmental damage and the application requirements were incomplete.

He said TDEC specifically cited concerns about the risk of acid rock drainage and water contamination, potential long-term failure of engineered systems beneath the landfill, destruction of over 1,500 feet of tributaries and the impacts to protected species and sensitive habitats. 

Jeffers said TDEC found that the project could lead to significant degradation of the state’s waters.

 Jeffers provided the following statement:

This decision is a major moment for Scott County. It confirms what many in our community have been saying all along, that this project carries serious environmental risks that cannot be ignored.

Our water, our land, and our future are too important to gamble with.

While this permit denial is a critical step, the process is not necessarily over. The applicant retains the right to appeal the decision.

This moment underscores the importance of continued vigilance, community engagement, and strong local leadership as decisions affecting Scott County move forward.